Improved mode of operating boring-tools for artesian wells



UNrTn STATES ATENT OFFICE.

JOHNSTON ROSS, OF EAST LIBERTY, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF, A. H. GROSS, AND C.YV. BATOHELOR, OE ALLEGHENY COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVED MODE OF OPERATING BORING-TOOLS FOR ARTESIAN WELLS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N0. 50,777, dated October31, 1865.

To all 'whom fit may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHNSTON Ross, of East Liberty, in the county ot'Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Apparatus for Operating the Boring-Tools for ArtesianYells; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description thereof, reference being had to theaccompanyingdrawings, forming part ot this specification, in which- Figure 1 is aside elevation ot a derrick and apparatus for operating theboring-tools. Fig. 2 is a top view of the saine without the derrick.Fig. 3 is a representation ot' a checkblock used for holding' the ropewhen detached from the walking-beam ot' the engine previous to raisingthe tool out of the well.

In the several figures like letters ot' reference denote similar parts.

In boring Artesian wells it is necessary that the bit of the boring-toolshould turn partly round on its axis after each stroke, in order thatthe bit, which is chisel-shaped, shall cut a cylindrical hole bystriking the rock at a different point on each successive stroke. Inoperating boring-tools for very deep wells it is much more convenient inevery way to attach the boring-tool lo the end ot a rope with a weightor sinker attached to it, instead of using boring-rods ot' iron insections screwed together, because a rope is more easily handled, can bemore readily lowered, and may be had ot' any desired length in onepiece. It is also very much cheaper. lt is also found that a rope has anatural inclination to turn always in one direction when alternatelyraised and lowered by the stroke of the walking-beam of an engine. i

In order to give the rope the necessary stroke up and down, its` upperend is connected with the walking-beam ot' the engine or to atemperscrew depending from the walking-beam, so that the rope may begradually lowered as the boring-tool sinks in the well. The necessityot' continually splicing the rope as it sinks in the well is obviated byhaving a considerable length ot' surplus rope outside ot' the well whichis usually wound around the bull-wheel or windlass used to raise andlower the boringtool. A difiiculty, however, occurs in this arrangementarising from the continual turning of the rope which is hanging in thewell, when the point from which the revolution of the rope commences, isat its connection with the temper-screw. As the rope in the well turnsround the surplus rope above the temper-screw is twisted at the sametime, and as the rope on the bull-wheel will not bear more than acertain amount ot' twist it becomes necessary very frequently to removethe surplus rope from the bull-wheel and allow it to untwist itself, andthen, in order to keep it out ot' the way, it must he again wound aroundthe wheel. This twisting ot' the rope outside ot the well is a source ofgreat trouble and annoyance, and the principal object of my improvedapparatus for operating boring-tools for deep wells is to remove thisdifiiculty, and at the same time to aid the rope to turn continually inthe Well during the operation ot boring. This object I effect by windingthe surplus rope outside of the well on a reel placed on a revolvingplatform so situate that the center of revolution ofthe platform andreel shall be in the same vertical line as the bore ot' the well, sothat as the rope in the well turns on its axis the rope outside the wellshall also turn, thus not only effeetually preventing any twist in therope, but also insuring the continuous rotation' ot' the rope in thewell in the proper direction.

To enable others skilled in the art to construct and use my improvement,I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

In the drawings, Fig. l, t is a derrick constructed over the well to bebored, having a pulley, b, at top, one side of which is in a verticalline over the axis of the bore ofthe well. Around thispulley is passed arope, c, one end of which hangs vertically over the bore of the well,and the other end is wound around the windlass or bull-wheel cl.

The free end of the rope c is not, as is usual, passed through the endof the temper-screw a and thence down into the well with the boringtoolattached to it, but is furnished with a hook, j', at its extremity,which hook is attached to the end ot' the rope c of the boringtoolwhenever it is desired to raise the boringtool out of the well or to usethe sand-pump. Vhen the rope c is not in use the hook j' is passed overa pin or hook, g, at the side of the derrick, so that it may not be inthe way of the workmen.

The walking-beam 7L ot' the engine vibrates on a standard, k, and isoperated bya pitman, l, attached to the cran k-arm m of the drivingshaftof the steam-engine or other motive power in the usual way.

To the other end of the walking-beam h is hun g the temper-screw a, ofany ordinary construction permittin gof the turning and gradual loweringof the working-rope c, to which the boring-tool and sinker are attachedin the well. The working-rope e is fastened to the lower end of thetemper-screw n at any point in its length that may be required, thatpart of the rope which is beyond the temper-screw outside of the wellbeing wound around a reel, as hereinafter described.

On a platformsurrounding the bore of the well is placed an annular trackof iron, p, the center of which lies immediately over the axis ofthebore of the well. On this annular track p rest four anged wheels, q,attached to a circular platform, 1^, so that the platform may revolve onits axis on the annular track p. The platform has a central hole throughit which is over the bore of the well, and through which theworking-rope c and tools, 85e., are lowered into or raised out of thewell.

Around the outer edge of the circular platform r are. a numberofinelined planes, s s, due., all inclining in the same direction, thelower end of each incline being on a level with the top ofthe platform.

A finger, t, is pivoted to a standard, a, at a little distance to oneside of the platform r, and its free end rests on the inclined planes ss on the circumference of the platform. The finger t is moved back andforth by means of a link, o, one extremity of which is pivoted to thefinger t, near its free end, and the other extremity is attached to acrank, w, on the driving-shaft a: of the engine. The stroke of the freeend of the finger t is a little greater than the length of each of theinclined planes s s,so that as the driving-shaft fr of the engine re-'volves it causes the finger t to rise up one of the inclined planes anddrop over its highest point, so that on the return-stroke of the iinger,as the driving-shaft .fr completes its revolution,it causes the platformr to make a partial revolution on its axis, and thus an intermittentmotion ofthe platform is effected, which is :repeated on each stroke ofthe walking-beam. rlhe inclined planes s s are so arranged as that theplatform revolves on its axis in the same direction as the workingvropee is desired to turn.

Around theedge of the central hole, o, in the platform r are placedupright pins z' t', Ste., forming a reel, around which the surplusportion of the working-rope c is wound, and the guards t" i', near thecircumference of the platform, prevent the rope from spreading over theinclined planes s 8, which would interfere with the action of the fingert.

The revolution ofthe platform t' may be effected by any other mode ofgearing or attachment to the engine that may be preferred.

The operation of my apparatus is as follows: The working-rope beingattached at some point between its two extremities to the temper-screwa, as before described, one end is sunk into the well with theboring-tool attached to it, and

the slack end is wound around the reel on the platform. 0n every11p-stroke of that end of the walkin g-beam to which the rope isattached the platform o' is caused to form a partial revolution, and theslack of the rope turns with and on it, and as the rope on the platformforms but a continuation of the rope in the well the revolution of theplatform insures the turning of the rope in the well, because if thatpart of the rope did not also turn it would soon become tightly twisted;but the weight of the sinker and boring-tool, by keeping the ropeextended, prevents its becoming twisted, which would shorten it, and theconsequence is that the rope in the well turns uniformly and at thesaine time as the platform.

When it is desired to raise the boring-tool out of the well theworking-rope 1nust` be removed from the temper-screw; but first it isdesirable to hold the rope up by some other means while it is beingattached to the bull-wheel or windlass. rlhisis effected by meansofaelamp, shown in Fig. 3, which isa block of iron or strong wood, i,which has a recess in one side, the sides of which are converging, sothat a wedge-shaped key, z, may be driven into it. The clamp, with thekey removed, is placed on the working-rope e, over the central hole, o,in the revolving platform, the clamp being too large to pass through thehole o, and then the key z is driven into the recess ofthe clamp y, soas to fasten the clamp securely on it. The working-rope c is thendetached from the telnper-screw n, which is swung out of the way, thehook f on the windlass-rope c is connected with a ring or hook at thefree end of the working-rope e, and then the windlass or bull-wheel dbeing turned, the ropes c and c are wound around it, passing over thepulley o overhead, and thus the tools or sand-pump are drawn out of thewell. The clamp y is removed from the rope as soon as the windlassbegins to sustain the weight of the working-rope e in the well.

Having thus described my improvement, what I claim as my invention, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The revolving platform r, with its reel t' t" placed centrally overthe bore ofthe well and caused to revolve on its axis while theboringtool is being worked) in the same direction as the boring-tool andrope in the well, for the purpose of holding the slack or surplus ropeoutside of the well and preventing it from becoming twisted,substantially as hereinbefore described.

2. The use ofthe cheek-block with its wedge, for the purpose of securingthe workin g-rope while it is being detached from the walking beam ofthe engine, substantially as hereinbefore described.

In testimony whereof I, the said JOHNSTON Ross, have hereunto set myhand.

JOHNSTON ROSS.

Witnesses: Y

A. S. NIoHoLsoN, W. BAKEWELL.

